Note on Ramon Sessions

[UKRAINEFAN]

From Draft Express: -"Jonny Flynn appears to be drawing strong interest from the Milwaukee Bucks, as it becomes increasingly clear that they will not be able to retain the services of current point guard Ramon Sessions, due to his excessive contract demands."
I guess that is just their opinion but it would be strange for a team with two good point guards already on the roster to have a strong interest in drafting another.

According to them Sessions has "great basketball IQ", "good court vision", "true point guard instincts", and "plays hard on the defensive end and rebounds the ball extremely well for a guard his size. The rookie shows great strength with his upper body and uses this as a defensive asset against bigger guards."


Also "Defensively he does a good job keeping his hands up and chasing his man around. He rotates well and was excellent when it came to cutting his man off from driving and funneling him towards the bigs, showing that his quickness translates well to lateral movement as well."

He has 5.7 assists for every 1.9 tunovers, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 steal per game.

His biggest weakness is three point (17%) shooting, "which limits his scoring to pull-up mid-range jumpers and floaters (which he does make with very good accuracy)." So we would definitely have to have a good three point shooter out there on the floor with him.

This guy has really only been in the league one year so he seems to have potential to be better, but he is already a 45 % shooter, a good true point guard and seems to be an upgrade on defense to anyone we have.

I have never seen him on tv or in person, but on paper he seems to be the only guy who has the qualities we want and is in the right age range AND is available.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Ramon-Sessions-466/

 

[Nikolokolus]

I've watched Sessions quite a bit in the past year and there's a lot to like about him. He's not a very good outside shooter, but his mid-range game is good and he finishes at the rim or gets fouled at a very high rate. As for his defense it's not great; he tends to be a pretty good man defender, but I noticed he had trouble with team defense at times.

I've been hoping for awhile that KP might offer him a contract this off-season or at least try to work a sign and trade with Milwaukee this off-season. I'd be perfectly happy with a Sessions/Blake rotation moving forward and maybe pick up guy like Darren Collison for some emergency depth at the one. I don't see there being much point to keeping Bayless and/or Sergio around if we were to get him.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Here's his advanced stats for those that want to take a look.

http://www.82games.com/0809/08MIL3.HTM

 

[bluefrog]

He's one of the best PGs on the market this summer. I think he's an upgrade to what we have now.
Pluses
-court vision
-good passer
-good defender

minuses
-poor shooter
-inexperienced

 

[Minstrel]

I'd be very excited if Portland could get Sessions. It's funny to wonder about the feasibility of getting him when we have no idea if Pritchard is even interested in him.

But it is good news, IMO, that Milwaukee doesn't expect to keep him.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Right now: Miller > Sessions

But Sessions isn't close to his potential and fits the long-term plan KP harps on.

 

[LameR]

He's one of the best PGs on the market this summer. I think he's an upgrade to what we have now.
Pluses
-court vision
-good passer
-good defender

minuses
-poor shooter
-inexperienced

I'd say poor outside shooter. 44.5% for a guard is nowhere near poor.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

But who's better, Sessions or Conley? If we want to win now, we go Miller but that would be difficult to give up the opportunity to acquire your starting PG for the next decade in either Conley or Sessions. I like both of them a lot, but I think Mike might be a better fit due to his outside shooting. I dunno, it's a tough one.

 

[VanillaGorilla]

But who's better, Sessions or Conley? If we want to win now, we go Miller but that would be difficult to give up the opportunity to acquire your starting PG for the next decade in either Conley or Sessions. I like both of them a lot, but I think Mike might be a better fit due to his outside shooting. I dunno, it's a tough one.

Sessions. Yeah he's not a long range shooter but Roy and Rudy are. And assuming we keep Webster he is good too. And Batum has already shown that he can hit the corner three. I don't know that we need a PG that is deadly from outside if he is deadly from inside. To me our biggest need is someone besides Roy than can create for himself and others. Sessions fits that perfectly. I wouldn't mind Conley at all though. I would prefer Sessions or Conley over Miller. Both young guys have the potential to be as good or better than Miller, very soon.

 

[MrJayremmie]

But who's better, Sessions or Conley? If we want to win now, we go Miller but that would be difficult to give up the opportunity to acquire your starting PG for the next decade in either Conley or Sessions. I like both of them a lot, but I think Mike might be a better fit due to his outside shooting. I dunno, it's a tough one.

I think Sessions is definitely better, and they are pretty much the same age I believe. Conley has the Greg factor, but the fact that Sessions is better now, and I think will probably be in the future, and has alreayd had much mroe success in the NBA than Conley, I think that makes me lean toward him.

 

[anonymous gambler]

Sessions looks like the type of passer that we need- he already has a 24 assist game, I believe. If we get him, I would drop Sergio and Blake- Sessions/Bayless seems like a good combo.

 

[1 Eye Jack]

To me he is the perfect fit for this team. We don't need more shooters we need a good young pg that can penetrate and put pressure on the defense. This is a huge key in todays NBA where there is no handchecking. Sessions reminds me of a young Andre Miller. I would be estatic to sign Sessions. My only dilemna is Bayless could potentially end up better.

 

[Mediocre Man]

What do we need a player like Sessions or Miller for when we have a perfectly average at best backup shooting guard on our roster that Nate likes to start at PG?

 

[Nikolokolus]

But who's better, Sessions or Conley? If we want to win now, we go Miller but that would be difficult to give up the opportunity to acquire your starting PG for the next decade in either Conley or Sessions. I like both of them a lot, but I think Mike might be a better fit due to his outside shooting. I dunno, it's a tough one.

Who's better? Right now it's probably Sessions but in a few years -- I was just thinking about this last night -- after some reflection I'm not sure you could say one way or another which is going to be better. Sessions is undoubtedly more of a finisher with 56-44% jump shots to inside versus Conley's 68-32% jump shot to inside ratio and a much better long range shot, Both of them get to the line pretty well, but Sessions trumps Conley with his Draw-Foul-Rate of 15.7% to Conley's 9.1%. And Just with the eye test I think Sessions is a better passer and more creative, but Conley is probably quicker and better off the ball with his ability to catch and shoot.

If a deal could be swung for either I'd be happy, but I tend to lean more towards Sessions; he's taller/longer, he's a better scorer, he has a great deal of creativity, has a better assist rate, doesn't turn the ball over much (1.9 total turnovers in 28 minutes and a TO rate of 14%). And most importantly, he's an actual free agent meaning getting him is probably considerably more likely and less convoluted than any deal it would take to get Conley -- even if that meant a sign and trade with Milwaukee was needed to guarantee we got him.

 

[STOMP]

But who's better, Sessions or Conley? If we want to win now, we go Miller but that would be difficult to give up the opportunity to acquire your starting PG for the next decade in either Conley or Sessions. I like both of them a lot, but I think Mike might be a better fit due to his outside shooting. I dunno, it's a tough one.

Conley would have to be dealt for and if Memphis likes Portland's chips. Sessions could just be signed outright as a Free Agent.

STOMP

 

[hasoos]

Right now: Miller > Sessions

But Sessions isn't close to his potential and fits the long-term plan KP harps on.

Miller is also much > in age than Sessions. That would be an ok problem, for about a year until he started to show it.

 

[Iwatas]

I like Sessions, but let's face it, he is not, on paper, that much better than Sergio.

Both are 6'3" tall. Both are 23 years old. They both shoot 79% from the stripe, and Sergio's 33% mark for threes is better than Ramon's 18% - though Sergio's contains a lot of desperation threes.
Sergio is better at passing -- 11 assists/48 as compared to 10 for Ramon. Ramon is a much better fg shooter - 45% vs 40%. Same rebound rate. Defense - everyone says Ramon is better, but for a lousy team like Milwaukee, that may be harder to tell.

I know Sergio is gone - and I will miss him. I think he can and will be a star in the right place. I hope we get decent value for him.

Sessions should be a very competent PG, and will also probably be a star, in time. I'd be glad to have him as a Blazer.

iWatas

 

[Boob-No-More]

Although I like Sessions, I'd be more comfortable for next season (and perhaps the one after that) with Andre Miller running the point. So, do we pass on our point guard of the future to land a better point guard for the present. Or, do we blow our cap space on a talented young PG with lots of "upside" but far less experience (including no post season experience).

How about this alternative:

Use the cap space to sign Miller - immediate help and a good mentor (and eventually back-up).

Finally cosumate the long rumored Outlaw for Conley trade. As others' have mentioned, Conley has similar upside to Sessions. Conley played great ball after the all-star break (14.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 5.6 APG, 0.435 3FG%, 0.840 FT%). The biggest question mark concerning Conley coming out of college was his outside shot. For the season, he shot 0.406 3FG% and as mentioned that sored to 0.435 after the break. With Memphis owning the No. 2 pick, they may want Rubio, which makes Conley expendable.

The problem is, he played so well in the 2nd half of the season, Travis Outlaw may no longer be enough to get him. Think they'd be willing to take Sergio to be Rubio's back-up? Also, would Conley accept a back-up role in Portland after becoming a solid starter in Memphis? And, what about Bayless? This move would mean either he's gone - or the Blazers give up on him as a PG and just make him Roy's back-up at SG. The best thing about getting Conley through a trade is it leaves the cap space for getting Miller (or a proven SF and possibly a back-up veteran PF). Sessions would likely cost us most of our cap space which could leave us limited chances of addressing our other needs.

BNM

 

[Iwatas]

Let's compare Ramon to another 23 year old PG (in his second year in the league):

Ramon and
FG%: 45% vs 47%
FT%: 79% vs 72%
MPG: 28 vs 23
Treys: 18% vs 24%
Rebounds: 3.4 vs 2.2
steals: 1 vs 1
Assists 5.7 vs 3.2
Turnovers: 1.9 vs 1.5
PPG: 12.4 vs 9.9

Ramon comes out looking pretty good -- much better assist-man, slightly poorer shooter. Of course, the other player, Devin Harris, *did* have a year in the NBA under his belt by then.

Getting on the Sessions bandwagon....

iWatas

 

[andalusian]

I like Sessions, but let's face it, he is not, on paper, that much better than Sergio

On paper Sessions is much much better than Sergio. Sergio had a PER of 12.5 which is less than average starter in the league. Sessions had 17.6 which is higher than an average starter - for the record - he had a much better PER than any PG we currently have.

When you look at their advanced stats it is clear why - his TS% is higher, his assist rate is practically identical but his turn-over rate is half of Sergio's.

Sergio's defensive rating is the same as Sessions - but he got his on a better defensive team (by a hair) - so advantage Sessions. Sessions's offensive rating is much higher than Sergio - and he got his on a much worse offensive team - so a big advantage to Sessions.

Sessions will be an upgrade on Sergio - no doubts about it. You get practically all the great passing you get from Sergio with much better care taken of the ball and better scoring - it's a no-brainer, really.

 

[MAS RipCity]

whichever pg allows us to groom bayless for the future i'm all for

 

[hasoos]

I like Sessions, but let's face it, he is not, on paper, that much better than Sergio.

Both are 6'3" tall. Both are 23 years old. They both shoot 79% from the stripe, and Sergio's 33% mark for threes is better than Ramon's 18% - though Sergio's contains a lot of desperation threes.
Sergio is better at passing -- 11 assists/48 as compared to 10 for Ramon. Ramon is a much better fg shooter - 45% vs 40%. Same rebound rate. Defense - everyone says Ramon is better, but for a lousy team like Milwaukee, that may be harder to tell.

I know Sergio is gone - and I will miss him. I think he can and will be a star in the right place. I hope we get decent value for him.

Sessions should be a very competent PG, and will also probably be a star, in time. I'd be glad to have him as a Blazer.

iWatas

That's the problem though. Everybody here watched Sergio this year, and would never consider the "just paper" comparison.

First of all you mention 3 point shooting, but don't mention how many they took. Sessions averages less than 1 attempt per game from the 3 point line.

Sessions shot 3 times as many free throws as Sergio and Blake combined. When shooting those free throws, he shoots about 80%. He averages 4 attempts per game, which puts him at 3 points per game just from the free throw line. The other thing not mentioned is in Sessions previous season he shot a very high percentage from the 3 point line. So he has the ability, it probably just needs tapped.


The assist per 48 can be misleading as well. Are you going to tell me the finishers in Milwaukee are better than Portland right now? The difference is 1 per 48. What would it be with Aldrige and Roy being the finisher for him, as opposed to CharlieV and an injured Andrew Bogut....

Lastly, the chance of Sergio showing up with an increased physicality during his career is zero. At least Sessions shows that he gets it when it comes to working hard and making it in the leauge. Has Sergio shown improvement, ever? He has been here 3 years, and I couldn't tell the difference between Sergio now, and the first time I saw him in a game.

 

[Iwatas]

Bayless is not going to be a real point in this league. He will be Jarrett Jack on speed. It sucks, but it is true.

*Maybe* he'll end up as Monta Ellis. I still would not want him on our team. Not if we could have a real PG who makes other players better.

iWatas

 

[hasoos]

Bayless is not going to be a real point in this league. He will be Jarrett Jack on speed. It sucks, but it is true.

*Maybe* he'll end up as Monta Ellis. I still would not want him on our team. Not if we could have a real PG who makes other players better.

iWatas

What do you mean by real point? If you mean pass first PG, I would respond with, when was the last time a true pass first PG won in the finals?

 

[Iwatas]

That's the problem though. Everybody here watched Sergio this year, and would never consider the "just paper" comparison.

I think we are just tired of Sergio, and he is tired of us. That is why I think he can blossom into a star - elsewhere. Time will tell.

The assist per 48 can be misleading as well. Are you going to tell me the finishers in Milwaukee are better than Portland right now? The difference is 1 per 48. What would it be with Aldrige and Roy being the finisher for him, as opposed to CharlieV and an injured Andrew Bogut....

Roy and Aldridge are not catch-and-shooters. Sergio got his assists off of Rudy, Outlaw and Frye, as likely as not. Sergio is probably still a better passer.

Lastly, the chance of Sergio showing up with an increased physicality during his career is zero. At least Sessions shows that he gets it when it comes to working hard and making it in the leauge.

I'll buy this, at least for Portland, going forward. As I have said, I think Sergio will still be a star, but not here. And Ramon looks like an excellent bet for a long-term solution at PG for us.

iWatas

 

[MAS RipCity]

Bayless is not going to be a real point in this league. He will be Jarrett Jack on speed. It sucks, but it is true.

*Maybe* he'll end up as Monta Ellis. I still would not want him on our team. Not if we could have a real PG who makes other players better.

iWatas

This fucking "real pg" that everyone wants will not happen, b/c CP3 is not coming to town. Roy even said he likes a pg like Bayless, who can play off the ball and allow Roy to handle the ball in the 4th

 

[Nikolokolus]

I like Sessions, but let's face it, he is not, on paper, that much better than Sergio.

Both are 6'3" tall. Both are 23 years old. They both shoot 79% from the stripe, and Sergio's 33% mark for threes is better than Ramon's 18% - though Sergio's contains a lot of desperation threes.
Sergio is better at passing -- 11 assists/48 as compared to 10 for Ramon. Ramon is a much better fg shooter - 45% vs 40%. Same rebound rate. Defense - everyone says Ramon is better, but for a lousy team like Milwaukee, that may be harder to tell.

I know Sergio is gone - and I will miss him. I think he can and will be a star in the right place. I hope we get decent value for him.

Sessions should be a very competent PG, and will also probably be a star, in time. I'd be glad to have him as a Blazer.

iWatas

Well it's a good thing they play on hardwood and not on paper.

If you want to say that Ramon's 17.5 PER is somehow the same as Sergio's fairly poor PER of 12.5 and that Ramon's draw foul rate of 15% vs. Sergio's 7% are at all comparable on paper then I don't think you're digging hard enough. I've seen enough of Sessions this year to know just with my naked eye that he's a much more aggressive driver and better finisher than Chacho, with equal court vision and setup skills and is far less turnover prone (Sergio's 8.4 assists and 3.5 turnovers per36 (2.3 A/TO ratio) are not in any way shape or form superior to Sessions 7.9 assists and 2.5 turnovers per36 (3.16 A/TO ratio)).

I've said it for awhile now, that if Sergio had the ability to drive and finish or stop and pop off of pick and rolls he could be a starter because defenses wouldn't have to sag off of him. Instead He's had three years to show whether or not he can do that and he hasn't been able to deliver.

 

[Iwatas]

Look, I know already that we will not agree on Sergio. Time will tell.

In the meantime, since everyone seems pretty sure that Sergio is gone, let's see if we can find common ground.

Do you agree that Sessions would be a substantial upgrade, and possibly the PG we want going forward?

iWatas

 

[hasoos]

Look, I know already that we will not agree on Sergio. Time will tell.

In the meantime, since everyone seems pretty sure that Sergio is gone, let's see if we can find common ground.

Do you agree that Sessions would be a substantial upgrade, and possibly the PG we want going forward?

iWatas

I think he could be part of a solution. Good PG are rare in the league, rare enough, that if you don't have a solution in place (or planned solution) then you should take a look at this kid. How many teams dropped the ball with Mo Williams? Who knows how long Devin Harris was on the market before he finally found a place he fit? I guess it all comes down to if management feels he fits within the system in place now.

 

[STOMP]

Sessions shot 3 times as many free throws as Sergio and Blake combined. When shooting those free throws, he shoots about 80%. He averages 4 attempts per game, which puts him at 3 points per game just from the free throw line. The other thing not mentioned is in Sessions previous season he shot a very high percentage from the 3 point line. So he has the ability, it probably just needs tapped.

Sample size... in that previous season, he took all of 7 3pt. shots making 3.

STOMP